Rajon Rondo, Isaiah Thomas ejected after scuffle in Lakers-Pelicans game

NEW ORLEANS — The Lakers are more familiar with rivalries with the Boston Celtics than rivalries between Celtics. But the organization found itself in the middle of one such beef in their matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday when former Boston point guards Isaiah Thomas and Rajon Rondo were both ejected in the first quarter.

For Thomas, the ejection came less than five minutes into his second game with the Lakers.

The newest Lakers guard became entangled with Rondo, who started at point guard for the Pelicans, on an inbounds play in the final minute of the first quarter, but that was not the beginning of their conflict.

That can be traced to January, when Rondo said it was silly for the Celtics to honor Thomas in his return to Boston with the Cavaliers.

“What has he done?” Rondo told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

Thomas played just two-plus seasons with Boston before being traded to the Cavaliers last summer, but did lead the Celtics to the Eastern Conference finals last spring.

“This is the Boston Celtics,” Rondo reportedly said. “This isn’t the Phoenix Suns, no disrespect to any other organization, but you don’t hang conference titles. Do we hang going to the conference finals?”

The Lakers acquired Thomas, along with veteran Channing Frye, at the trade deadline last week. Thomas was scheduled to play his first game back in Boston on Sunday, and a planned video tribute became a controversy due to the scheduled jersey retirement for Paul Pierce.

The tension between Rondo and Thomas apparently carried over to Wednesday, when Thomas and Rondo were both ejected with 33.3 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Both players received a technical foul after being separated, and while that was being sorted out, Rondo appeared to continue after Thomas, resulting in both players being ejected.

It was a busy first half for the officials, who called a total of seven technical fouls as the Pelicans posted nearly 80 points, taking a 79-66 lead at the break.

Lakers coach Luke Walton was ejected with 1:38 left in the half after storming across midcourt to protest a technical foul on Kyle Kuzma. Kuzma was called for a foul on an attempted steal and leapt in the air to show his displeasure with the call.

The technicals were Nos. 7 and 8 for Walton, who earned the praise of former Laker Larry Nance Jr. earlier this month in Oklahoma City for saving Nance from a technical by earning one himself.

Among head coaches, only Atlanta’s Mike Budenholzer has more technical fouls than Walton. Budenholzer has received nine.